Flush tank fixture



July 24, 1956 g, KR 2,755,483

FLUSH TANK FIXTURE Filed July 29. 1955 iii INVENTOR QQMa QQ Affomg;

FLUSH TANK FIXTURE Charles S. Krucki, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor of onehalf to Ivan C. Hepfer, Grandville, Mich.

Application July 29, 1955, Serial No. 525,095-

Claims. (Cl. 4-67) This invention relates to an exceptionally simple construction of flush tank lever, one very economical to produce and which may be more rapidly installed than any known flush tank lever. Because of economy of manufacture and speed of installation, the flush tank lever of my invention is less costly than any, at the pres ent, known.

Moreoverwith my flush tank lever, the lever mounting on the tank is insured against shifting or creeping about the axis on which the lever rockingly turns. Also there is no binding nut used for securing the equivalent or substitute mounting for the cast spud of prior flush tank levers, no threadin of any spud is required, and no manual tightening of a nut, which if tightened too strongly endangers the tank on which it is used, and if tightened insufiiciently permits such spud to have a slight rocking movement in the opening in the tank wall through which it extends.

My invention has, for its primary object and purpose, the production of a novel, very economical flush tank lever both in structure and installation; and particularly, an efiective flush tank lever having the advantages above enumerated, together with other advantages hereafter appearing upon understanding of the invention, from the following description, taken in connection wit-h the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. l is a horizontal section through a fragmentary portion of a flush tank wall showing the flush tank lever of my invention installed, the tank lever handle being in fragmentary horizontal section, substantially on the plane of line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the lever with one of the sides of the mounting fixture broken away.

Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 1, upon the plane of line 11 of Fig. 2, showing the handle in the process of installation, as it is immediately before it is fully and completely installed, as in Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections, respectively, substantially on the planes of lines '44 and 55 of Fig. 1, looking in the directions indicated, and

Fig. 6 is a somewhat enlarged perspective view of the mounting fixture for the lever, which takes the place of the usual spud mounting used at present in fiush tank levers.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.

The lever mounting fixture is made from a length of fiat resilient metal, preferably brass, which is bent and shaped between its ends to have two spaced apart sides 1, each having a free end terminating in an inwardly extending gripping flange 2 of the form shown. At the opposite ends of each of the sides 1 they are continued and shaped into stops 3 of a generally channel cross section, the upper flanges of which are integrally connected by an outer end 4 of the fixture. From opposite edges of the end 4, short flanges 5 extend outwardly. The end 4 centrally thereof has a circular opening 6 which is surrounded, at the inner side of the top 4, by a short 2,755,483 Patented July 24, 1956 2 integral ring which provides a bearing for the flush tank lever mounted upon the described fixture. The distance between the opposed sides 1 of said fixture at the channel-like stops 3 is such that when the two sides 1 are sprung together at their free ends and forced through the generally square opening in a wall of a flush tank, such sides 1 of the fixture will press against opposite sides of said tank wall opening, and the stops at 3 come against the outer side of the tank wall, as in Figs. 1 and 3.

The lever comprises a handle 7 which, preferably, will be die cast. At one end it has a dome 8 shown as the segment of a sphere which is hollow at its inner side, centrally from which :an integral boss 8a extends. Integral with the boss 8a is a spindle 9 of lesser diameter than boss 8a, the exterior diameter of which is slightly less than the diameter of the opening 6 in the outer end 4 of the mounting fixture. The handle 7, within the domelike housing 8, may have ribs, as shown at 10 in Figs. 3 and 5, extending between the boss 8a and the dome portion 8 which, when the handle is fully assembled on the tank as in Fig. l, in conjunction with the outwardly extending stop flanges 5, serve to limit rocking movement of the lever.

The spindle 9 at its inner end portion is further reduced in diameter to make an integral extension 11. Around such extension 11 a sleeve 12 is located, abutting at one end against the annular shoulder between the sections 9 and 11 of the spindle, and securely held in place by heading over the outer end of the spindle extension 11 against the other end of the sleeve 12. The sleeve 12 at its outer cylindrical surface is preferably provided with a successive series of annular ribs with grooves between them as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The lever is completed by a rod 14, to the outer or free end of which the ball valve used in .a flush tank is adapted to be suspendingly connected. The other end of the rod is bent to extend generally at a right angle to the body of the rod 14, making a short section which is upset to provide longitudinal ribs as indicated at 15. The spindle 9 and its smaller diameter section 11 have an axial opening to receive said ribbed or splined end portion 15 of the rod 14, being secured against turning by the ribs entering grooves at the inner sides of the axial opening in the spindle. The rod is permanently secured to the spindle by staking the projecting ribs of the section at 15, upsetting and driving the metal of the spindle extension 11 into a position to prevent separation of the rod and spindle.

The flush tank lever as thus constructed is assembled by locating the sleeve 12 between the sides 1 of the mounting fixtures, then passing the spindle 9 through the opening 6 and passing the reduced diameter section 11 through the sleeve 12. The rod 14 and its section 15 are then secured to the spindle, after which the free end of the section 11 is spun or otherwise headed over at the outer end of said sleeve 12. The lever is thus assembled with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3, the dome end 8 of the handle extending outwardly beyond the edges of the stop flanges 5.

The assembly is completed by then applying a pushing force to the handle 7 directly in line with the spindle 9. This forces .the sleeve 12 from the position in Fig. 3 to that in Fig. 1, forcing the projecting end portions of the sides 1 apart and holding them apart a distance greater than the width of the tank wall opening. The inturned flanges or tongues 2, shaped with concave recesses at their edges, bear against and grip the sleeve 12 at opposite sides. The sleeve 12 is held against return movement by reason of the engagement of said flange-s 2 in grooves of the sleeve 12. Such movement of the tank lever in this final step of installation brings the dome 8 over the outer end of the mounting fixture and positions the ribs 10 and the flanges 5 in relation to each other that the lever, as a whole, may have only a limited rocking movement about the longitudinal axis of the spindle 9.

The structure described, in its novel mounting fixture, provides a substitute for the substantially, universally used spud which is secured to the tank wall by a clamping nut at its inner end. The cost of manufacture of the mounting fixture shown in Fig. 6 is materially less than the die casting and threading of the well known tank lever spud and associated nut. The sides 1 when the lever is installed, as in Fig. 1, are sprung and bent outwardly between their ends, exerting pressure on opposite sides of the opening in the tank wall 16, thus very securely holding such lever mounting fixture against movement in any direction. The lever has its necessary rocking movement in axially aligned bearings, one around the opening 6 and the other between the recessed edges of the flanges 2.

It is evident that the lever is economically produced and that its installation is nearly instantaneous. Any threading on of a clamping nut and a tightening of such nut at the final step of installation is eliminated.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a structure as described, a tank wall having a transverse opening, generally rectangular in cross section therethrough, a mounting fixture comprising, .an outer generally rectangular end portion and two spaced sides extending generally at right angles therefrom, each terminating at its inner end in an inwardly extending gripping flange, said sides being located adjacent opposite sides of said opening through the tank wall, and extending inwardly a distance beyond the inner side of the wall, stop means limiting the inward movement of said sides through said opening in the tank wall, and a flush tank lever comprising an outer handle, a spindle extending therefrom through the outer end of said mounting fixture, between said sides of the fixture and between the inwardly turned flanges thereof, and a collar surrounding said stem at the inner end portion thereof having a plurality of continuous annular grooves therearound in succession one after the other, said grooves being successively spaced from each other by intervening ribs, said spindle being of a length and the collar so located thereon that when inserted through said mounting fixture, the inner end portions of said sides of the fixture are forced away from each other and the sides of the fixture at their inner ends forced farther apart than the distance between the sides of the wall opening adjacent said sides of the fixture, thereby securing said mounting fixture against withdrawal and locking the spindle and attached handle against outward movement, said spindle being free to rock about its longitudinal axis.

2. In combination, a mounting fixture made from a length of flat metal having an outer end of generally rectangular shape, two spaced generally channel-like stop ribs one at each of two opposite sides of said end, and two spaced sides extending from said stop ribs generally at right angles to said end of the fixture, each of said sides at its free end terminating in a flange, said flanges extending toward each other, a handle, a spindle secured to said handle passing through the end of said mounting fixture between the sides thereof and at its free end extending beyond said flanges, said spindle at its inner end portion having a plurality of continuous annular ribs successively spaced from each other by intervening grooves, said spindle being engaged by said flanges on the sides of said mounting fixture in a groove between two consecutive ribs, the free end portions of said sides being strained apart from each other and the flanges engaging in a groove to hold the spindle from against outward movement and permit free vrotative movement of the spindle about its longitudinal axis.

3. A mounting fixture for flush tank levers comprising, an outer end of generally rectangular form having a generally disposed central opening therethrough, two channel shaped stop ribs one at each of two opposite edges of said end of the mounting fixture integral with the end of said fixture, said channel stops having each integrally continued therefrom a side generally at right angles to the end of the fixture, said two sides extending in the same direction and terminating at their free ends in a flange, said flanges extending .toward each other and being located in planes at an angle greater than a right angle to the planes of said sides, and each of said flanges .at its free edge having a concave recess therein.

4. In a structure as described, a mounting fixture made from a length of flat metal of generally U-shaped form having an outer rectangular endand two spaced apart legs extending generally at right angles therefrom to one side thereof, each terminating at its free end in a flange, the two flanges of the two sides extending toward each other, stop means between said sides and the outer end of said fixture adapted to engage against the outer side of a flush tank wall at opposite sides of an opening therethrough, said sides of the fixture being adapted to pass through said opening in a flush tank wall and a distance beyond the inner side of said wall, a handle adapted to be located at the outer side of said wall, a spindle secured to the handle passing through the outer end of said fixture, between the sides thereof and beyond the flanges at the free ends of said sides and a collar surrounding said spindle at the free end portion thereof having a plurality of successive closely spaced ribs with grooves between adjacent ribs, said flanges of the sides being adapted to be received in a groove between two successive ribs when said spindle is passed through said fixture and force the inner end portions of the sides of the fixture away from each other a distance greater than the dimension of a flush tank opening through which the fixture is adapted to be inserted to thereby lock said fixture and spindle against outward withdrawal.

5. In a structure as described, a mounting fixture made from a length of flat metal of generally U-shaped form having an outer generally rectangular outer end and two spaced legs extending generally at right angles therefrom to one side thereof, each terminating at its free end in an inturned flange, said flanges extending toward each other, stop means between said sides and the outer end of said fixture adapted to engage against the outer side of a fiush tank wall at an opening therethrough, said side of the fixture being adapted to pass through said opening in a flush tank wall a distance beyond the inner side of the wall, a handle adapted to be located at the outer side of said wall, a spindle secured to the handle passing through the outer end of said fixture and between the sides thereof to beyond said flanges, said spindle being engaged at opposite sides by said flanges, said spindle having a groove therein to receive the free edges of said flanges, and said spindle forcing the inner end portions of said sides of the fixture outwardly from each other a distance greater than the dimension of a flush tank opening through which the fixture is adapted to be inserted, thereby locking said fixture and spindle against withdrawal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

